How to Avoid a Health Crisis Caused by Climate Change?

Climate change is a reality and never before in history has the scientific community been so concerned about this fact. For years, there has been a warning about the need to pay attention to the possible scenarios of consequences of environmental pollution, since the forecasts that have been made today are increasingly close to happening and the powerful nations of the world still do not provide real solutions to the problem .

This situation has a direct impact on the health and survival of human beings on planet earth. On the other hand, the objectives that have been proposed to reduce global warming are not enough and are not close to being an acceptable solution, which is why different experts around the world suggest that new ideas should be proposed based on reality and that manage to retain the damage to the climate caused by gas emissions, in the short and medium term.

Recently, more than 233 magazines came together to send a disturbing message about these circumstances. Likewise, they insist that the richest countries must do more to mitigate the impact that climate change is already generating, which must be oriented towards mitigation and adaptation, which must primarily include improvement in healthcare.

“Richer nations must act faster and do more to help countries already experiencing higher temperatures. 2021 has to be the year the world changes course, our health depends on it,” says Fiona Goodle, editor-in-chief of The British Medical Journal.

The statement based its assertions on the most recent conclusions of the IPCC (the world's largest panel of specialists on climate change), whose report shows that every fraction of a degree in temperature puts human health and life at risk.

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"Every step taken to limit emissions and warming brings us closer to a healthier and safer future," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization.

How to avoid a health crisis?

The first thing that should be done to avoid these scenarios is to reach a consensus where the great nations commit to provide realistic solutions in which certain sectors of the economy such as transport systems, development in cities, commercial production must be redesigned, the distribution of food, the financial system and the health system as a priority.

Global warming will bring a gradual increase in the temperature of the world and with serious effects such as floods, droughts, famines, massive migrations and deterioration in human health. If this is not resolved now, the planet will have to prepare for the next crisis that is coming in the middle of the century and which will be completely sanitary.

According to the magazines that signed the statement, it is necessary to rethink the ways of producing, consuming and living, taking into account people's health would bring the following advantages:

• Reduction of environmental pollution.
• Generation of high quality employment.
• Improved nutrition for children and adults.
• Increased physical activity.
• Decent housing for families.

"Better air quality alone would generate health benefits that would easily outweigh the global costs of reducing emissions," suggest the signatories.